Just a Dream
by Cross77
Summary: AU one-shot. After assisting the team with the Arctic mission, Coulson gives Grant Ward a second chance. Slowly, Skye and Ward build their relationship back up, only to have it all come crumbling down when she gets romantically involved with Lincoln.


**AN: This is just a one-shot that I came up with while listening to _Just a Dream_ by Nelly. I wasn't going to post it, but then I thought what the hell, maybe somebody would like it.**

* * *

Months had passed since Grant Ward had assisted the team with the mission in the Arctic and had subsequently received a tracking bracelet and a second chance to get back in the team's good graces. He had done so rather quickly.

Fitz was the first to confront him a few days later. The two men had quickly become friends again.

Simmons followed suit, taking slightly longer to maintain a friendly conversation with him.

Hunter was next. The two had bonded over a drinking competition of all things. They had become fast friends. Skye still had no idea how they clicked so easily, especially because Grant was usually always serious and Hunter was a partying type of guy. Hunter's ex-wife and current girlfriend, Bobbi Morse was the former specialist's fourth friend on the base.

Those four, including Grant's best friend, Kara, were the ones who enjoyed his company the most.

May had chatted with the other specialist several times, always polite, but Skye didn't think they were friends. Then again, Melinda May didn't really do friends.

Coulson had gone back to being a friendly-mannered boss to the man and the two had seemed to reach a mutual understanding of each other.

Mack was nice enough to Ward and often joined the little group for beers, but he was rarely ever alone with the other man.

Skye had placed a tentative trust in her former supervising officer. They had sparred occasionally and often found themselves in the common room together late at night. Ward would be reading while Skye toyed with her laptop. It wasn't what it used to be, but it was a comfortable feeling being able to be close to him again.

All that went out the window when Skye agreed to go on a date with Lincoln Campbell, the newest addition to the team and an Inhuman like herself.

She had mentioned the date to him offhandedly one night.

 _"Hey, so I'm gonna have to skip out on our sparring tomorrow. I've got a date with Lincoln," she said, absentmindedly scrolling through fanfiction. "Hope that's okay."_

 _An uncomfortable silence took hold after that._

 _She glanced up from her laptop to see his book closed and his back turned._

 _"That's fine," he said curtly, his voice breaking slightly._

After that, their friendship didn't seem to take any steps forward. He continued to train with her at her request, but refused to crack a smile or make a snarky comment. Instead of the hopeful and joyful gleam that his eyes used to hold when they sparred, his expression turned cautious.

* * *

As her relationship with Lincoln began to progress farther than the occasional date, her relationship with Grant worsened.

His eyes had lost all traces of emotion and he had an empty and crushed look about him. The responses he gave her when they spoke were one-word and he refused to hold her gaze for more than half a second. It bothered her immensely because she did care about him. She wanted to be there for him, but she also knew that he still had feelings for her and he was hurting badly.

* * *

The team had thrown a party when, about seven months into their relationship, Lincoln and Skye became engaged.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was no longer needed for high profile targets, so their missions became less frequent and dangerous.

The party was actually at a private beach owned by Tony Stark. Skye and Lincoln could invite anybody they wanted, even people from outside the team.

Lincoln had invited a few of his friends from med school while Skye invited the entire team, Grant included.

He was the only one who didn't show.

She felt hurt by the fact that he didn't show up, but if she was honest, she really hadn't expected him to. Skye desperately wanted them to be friends again, to have the trust they once shared, but Ward had drifted away. And she knew they likely would never have the same relationship again.

A brief spark of hope surged through her when she saw him roughly three-fourths into the party.

He was on the sidewalk above, leaning against a tree and looking over the beach. She glanced at his appearance. He was wearing all black. Hoodie, gloves, jeans, shoes, everything. She gave him a smile, trying to coax him into coming down. She heard her name being called and glanced away for a split-second before her gaze returned to where he was moments before.

He was gone.

She blinked several times as if it would conjure him again, but nothing.

When the team returned to the base that night, there was no trace of him.

Everything that he had ever touched seemed to be wiped clean, like he was never there in the first place.

* * *

She thought she would never see him again.

She was wrong.

Two years later, she did.

Her and Lincoln's relationship had fizzled out rather quickly, whether it was on her part or his, she really had no idea. The two of them remained friends, but his presence always reminded her of their time together and how she couldn't help but feel like being with him was never right.

She was walking down a street in Forest Hills, Queens when she met him again. Her voice perked up at the sound of a nearby child, something she had always wanted but had given up on having.

"Daddy," taunted a boy that sounded like he was around ten-years-old. "That lady was cute! You should have asked her on a date."

An all-too-familiar voice grumbled in response. "Remind me why I adopted you again? I told you, Dick, I'm not going to date anyone."

"But why?" asked the little boy, ignoring the affectionate verbal jab in his direction. "You could have anybody with your looks," pointed out the kid. "You could work on your personality a bit, but…" Dick paused, as if pondering something. "It's that Skye girl, isn't it?"

"Dick," warned the hollow voice she knew to be Grant, "drop it."

"You should contact them again, your friends. I bet they miss you. I bet she misses you."

"She doesn't," replied Grant automatically.

She wanted to cry at how cold his voice was, like the life was completely drained out of him. Instead, she walked in the direction of their voices, rounding the corner to come face to face with him.

When she saw him, she almost gasped at the sight. He was not the well-kept man she knew. He had a beard now and he looked ragged, shoulders slumped and hands in pocket. He still wore all black, that hadn't changed. But now, he had a metal chain wrapped around his left arm.

His eyes snapped to hers and suddenly it was difficult to breathe.

His expression didn't change and he made no move to greet her. The little boy by his side, Dick, watched her, dark brown eyes staring in wonder.

"Grant?" she whispered, stepping forward.

He watched her cautiously and it felt like his gaze was piercing her soul. "Skye."

And without registering the movement, she threw herself toward him and wrapped her arms around him. It took him several moments to respond by uncomfortably patting her on the back.

"Don't ever leave me again," she sniffled, tears in her eyes.

She felt him nod against her shoulder.

She trusted that he wouldn't.

* * *

 **AN: So, yeah. That's the fic. Also, the metal chain wrapped around his arm was a shout-out to Hellfire, just in case you guys missed it.**


End file.
